This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Regleg leaders meet in Scotland
29/11/2004
Scotland is set to take part in a project that will
improve the way the EU Commission works with devolved
governments and regions across Europe.
First Minister Jack McConnell who is currently president
of RegLeg, the network of devolved governments and regions,
has been in discussions with Commission Vice President
Margot Wallstrom to develop the project, which will be
first of its kind in Europe.
Mr McConnell said:
"If the EU is to thrive, it must find better ways of
communicating with its citizens and one of the best ways of
doing that is through devolved governments and regions.
"Since devolution, Scotland has built up more and more
influence in Europe, and this new project is a recognition
of our role in developing a more responsive and flexible
EU.
"So many of Europe's citizens are now represented by
both national Parliaments and a devolved or regional
parliament, and if Europe is to have the breadth of
understanding and depth of reach it needs, it has to
function at all levels."
Margot Wallström, EC Vice President responsible for
Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy,
said:
"It can seem a long distance between what is decided in
Brussels and what actually happens in the places where most
people live.
"The EU must become a Union that listens. I look
forward to learning from Scotland's experience. The
Commission is planning to explore with Scotland how we can
work together to improve the way that we engage with
devolved governments and the people they represent."
The fifth annual conference of the Presidents of Regions
with Legislative Power (Regleg) is being held in Edinburgh
today and tomorrow.
Regleg is a co-operative venture among areas of Europe
which have their own government and Parliament within an EU
member State.
They have often similar responsibilities as the member
State within their areas of competence in the three domains
of government: legislative, executive and judiciary.
The aim of REGLEG is to achieve an enhanced role of
those regions in the Europen Union in the form of increased
political and legal status of the regions with legislative
powers in all the domains of EU-governance, according to
their competences and responsibilities.